Accessing method and apparatus for use in hybrid optical recording device

A disc apparatus adapted for accessing a disc-shaped recording medium including recording tracks in a spiral form or in a concentrical form, the recording medium being such that the area thereon is divided, every predetermined position in a radial direction, into at least one reproduction only area and one recordable area, and that boundary recording track position information indicating a boundary recording track position between the reproduction only area and the recordable area which are adjacent to each other is recorded,

• the apparatus comprising:
• a head for providing an access to the disc-shaped recording medium;
• head movement means for moving the head in the radial direction of the disc-shaped recording medium;
• current position detecting means for detecting a recording track position that the head is accessing at present to output current position information indicating the current recording track position;
• boundary detecting means for detecting, on the basis of target recording track position information indicating a target recording track position, the current position information and the boundary recording track position information, whether or not the boundary recording track position indicated by the boundary recording track position information exists between the current recording track position indicated by the current position information and the target recording track position indicated by the target recording track position information;
• means for detecting the number of movement recording tracks, which is operative so that when it is detected by the boundary detecting means that the boundary recording track position exists, the detecting means detects the number of movement recording tracks from the current recording track position up to a recording track position spaced by a predetermined number of recording tracks from the boundary recording track position;
• traverse signal generating means operative to generate, from a reproduction signal obtained by the head, a traverse signal of which signal level changes every time the head traverses the recording tracks at a first setting corresponding to the reproduction only area or a second setting corresponding to the recordable area selected on the basis of a switching signal when the head is being moved by the head movement means;
• count means for counting, on the basis of the traverse signal, the number of recording tracks over which the head has been moved;
• area detecting means for detecting, on the basis of a reproduction signal obtained by the head, whether an area where the head is positioned is the reproduction only area or the recordable area;
• and
• control means for carrying out a first operation to move the head toward the boundary recording track position by the head movement means, whereby when the number of recording tracks counted by the count means becomes in correspondence with the number of movement recording tracks detected by the means for detecting the number of movement recording tracks, the control means stops movement of the head by the head movement means to output, to the traverse signal generating means, the switching signal corresponding to an area detection signal by the area detecting means in the state where the head is stopped.

A disc access method for accessing, by moving a head in a radial direction of a disc-shaped recording medium, the disc-shaped recording medium including recording tracks in a spiral form or in a concentrical form, the recording medium being such that the area thereon is divided, every position in the radial direction thereof, into at least one reproduction only area and one recordable area, and that boundary recording track position information indicating a boundary recording track position between the reproduction only area and the recordable area which are adjacent to each other is recorded,

• the method comprising the steps of:
• reading the boundary recording track position information recorded on the disc-shaped recording medium;
• detecting a current recording track position that the head is accessing at present;
• detecting, on the basis of the detected current recording track position, a target recording track position and the boundary recording track position indicated by the boundary recording track position information, the number of movement recording tracks from the current recording track position up to the boundary recording track position when the boundary recording track position exists between the current recording track position and the target recording track position;
• generating, from a reproduction signal obtained by the head, a traverse signal of which signal level changes every time the head traverses the recording tracks at a first setting corresponding to the reproduction only area or a second setting corresponding to the recordable area selected on the basis of a switching signal when the head is being moved;
• counting, on the basis of the traverse signal, the number of recording tracks over which the head has been moved;
• and
• outputting the switching signal on the basis of the number of movement recording tracks and the counted number of recording tracks.

A disc access method for accessing, by moving in a radial direction of a disc-shaped recording medium, the disc-shaped recording medium including recording tracks in a spiral form or in a concentrical form, the recording medium being such that the area thereon is divided, every position in the radial direction thereof, into at least one reproduction only area and one recordable area, and that boundary recording track position information indicating a boundary recording track position between the reproduction only area and the recordable area which are adjacent to each other is recorded,

• the method comprising the steps of:
• reading the boundary recording track position information recorded on the disc-shaped recording medium;
• detecting a current recording track position that the head is accessing at present;
• detecting, on the basis of the detected current recording track position, a target recording track position and the boundary recording track position indicated by the boundary recording track position information, the number of movement recording tracks from the current recording track position up to a recording track position spaced by a predetermined number of recording tracks from the boundary recording track position when the boundary recording track position exists between the current recording track position and the target recording track position;
• generating, from a reproduction signal obtained by the head, a traverse signal of which signal level changes every time the head traverses the recording tracks at a first setting corresponding to the reproduction only area or a second setting corresponding to the recordable area selected on the basis of a switching signal when the head is being moved;
• moving the head toward the boundary recording track position;
• counting, on the basis of the traverse signal, the number of recording tracks over which the head has been moved;
• stopping movement of the head when the counted number of recording tracks becomes in correspondence with the detected number of movement recording tracks;
• detecting, on the basis of a reproduction signal by the head, in the state where the head is stopped, whether an area where the head is positioned is the reproduction only area or the recordable area;
• and
• outputting the switching signal in accordance with the detection result thus obtained.